Leira
Leira (pronounced: /ˈlɛərɑː/ LAIR-ah4 or: /ˈlɛərə/ LAIR-uh2), also known as The Lady of Deception or The Lady of the Mists, was the goddess of deception and illusions and patroness of illusionists and liars. History Months after the Avatar Crisis, Leira was slain by the new deity of death, Cyric, at the village Blackfeather Bridge, wielding the sword Godsbane, which was in fact an avatar of Mask. Her portfolios were subsequently absorbed by the mad god. Some still believed Leira was alive and that she had used her death as a grand illusion, but the general consensus was that she was a dead power. Leiran traditionalists on Nimbral who believed her to be alive in fact gained spells from Cyric. It became known that Leira was in fact alive and delighted in the confusion created by rumors of her demise and return. At this time, the faithful of Cyric also considered her to be his daughter. Divine Realm Leira maintained a divine realm called the Courts of Illusion on the chaotic plane of Limbo. After her demise, her body was adrift on the Astral Plane, like those of other dead powers. Personality She was an enigma, never telling the truth when falsehood would do. Everything she did and said was shrouded in layers of illusion and lies. She believed that truth was worthless and that misbelief and falsehood were what gave life meaning. Relationships Leira was allies with Mask and helped him escape from the Abyss when he needed it the most. She was opposed by Moradin, as her lies were a hindrance to knowledge. Worshipers Leira had quite a small following. Her priests, known as Leirans, or Worshipers of the Mistshadow, wore silver masks and often disguised themselves to deceive those around them. Leirans would speak the truth only to other Leirans. High-level clerics of the Leiran faith were called Mistcallers. Every morning, and on every moonlit night, Leirans lay face down and prayed to the Lady of the Mists. If there was any mist, Leirans would walk through it and pray. The most revered act in the Leiran faith was the "Unmasking", a purification ritual performed when new followers entered the faith. The highest concentration of Leira's followers could be found on the island of Nimbral and its vassal state Samarach. While the people of Nimbral rebelled against the influence of Leira's clergy, Samarach was still held under the sway of those who believed her still alive and many of her follower's practices were still in place.[citation needed] Not widely worshiped, the majority of her worshipers were users of illusion magic. While Leira may have had few dedicated followers, a worshiper of the Faerûnian pantheon often would pay homage to her before an important decision or judgement. Orders ; Mistcallers : Specialty priests of Leira with limited powers of illusion, the Mistcallers were the clerical order most commonly associated with the church, though no one could be sure how many there were. ; Mistwalkers : A sect of the church first appearing after the Time of Troubles, the Mistcallers continued to display the ability to cast divine magic, but were purposefully ambiguous about the "alleged" death of their goddess and whether their magic was granted by a living Leira or by Cyric. Dogma "The Lady is never quite what you think she is. Truth is a worthless thing to know and worth even less to speak aloud. Never speak truth where falsehood will suffice. Cherish and further illusions and rumors, for distortion and legend are what make folk happy and life alluring. Hiding a thing gives it value by the very act of cloaking."Category:Religions